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Drone pilot Colby Curtola flies a small consumer drone at the Fat Shark display. Drone Shark is showing off their first drone, which will be sold in a complete kit for $249. ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY

Dr. Kimberly Williams from NASA's Ames Research Center holds a Straight Up Imaging (SUI) Endurance drone. Williams said that NASA is demonstrating the use of overflow high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code to analyze the aerodynamics of drones in order to help companies to design higher performance and more efficient ones. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 12 and features about 3,900 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 170,000 attendees. Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Andrew Mier displays a Yuneec Firebird FPV fixed-wing drone that offers fully immersive, real time flight experience as if the user was in the cockpit of a real airplane during. The $599 drone has a 42.2-inch wingspan, can travel up to 52 mph and will be available in the first half of 2018. It can transmit a live, high definition image to a smartphone that can be recorded on an SD card. Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Yuneec's Typhoon H Plus hexacopter. The drone comes with a C23 camera with a 1-inch sensor that captures up to 20-megapixel photos and videos up to 4K at 60 frames per second. Ethan Miller, Getty Images

The Yamaha Fazer R combustible engine, industrial-use unmanned helicopter. The $ 100,000 autonomous drone is primarily used for high-end agricultural purposes. It features a 32-liter capacity tank that allows it to spray about four hectares without reloading chemicals or refueling. Ethan Miller, GETTY IMAGES

Drone pilot Travis Ames demonstrates an aircraft during the annual during the Drone Rodeo held annually the day before the start of the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. Drone Shark is showing off their first drone, which will be sold in a complete kit for $249. The Drone Rodeo brings together manufacturers, pilots, media and drone enthusiasts where they can get a close up look at new drones and technology. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

The Mito underwater drone is demonstrated at the Navatics display. The Mito can be used at depths up to130 feet, with a 2 hour run time and has video recording and live-streaming capabilities. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

MELBOURNE, Fla. — It was but two days after Christmas when the Fenno family lost their new gift: a drone.

The Melbourne residents were visiting family in Georgia when they took the drone for its first spin. It was dark, said Kaitlee Fenno, but the drone had lights so the family assumed it was in the clear.

"We were out in a long drive with an open field near the bottom, so we thought for sure we wouldn’t lose the thing even with the surrounding woods, and especially with the bright lights," said Fenno.

But it only took 10 minutes for Christmas drone 2017 to go missing in action.

"Apparently my husband took the drone too high, or something happened where it lost connection with the controller — perhaps the battery died, but I suppose we will never really know," she said, noting they tried to chase it down to no avail.

The Fennos story is like many who with bright eyes took shiny new drones out for a test run only to come home empty-handed.

The popularity of drones has more than doubled year over year, according to NPD, a group that analyzes consumer and retail data. Drone revenues were expected to soar past the $1 billion mark in 2017, according to the Consumer Technology Association, with about 3.4 million sold just in the United States. During the holidays, retailers capitalized on the trend as lower-priced drones in the $50 to $100 range lined shelves from technology distributors to grocery stores. The Fennos' drone was purchased at an Aldi.

Wade Fenno, right, and Ethan Martell try out the Fenno family's new drone after Christmas. The drone, the lime green object in the upper right, went missing within 10 minutes.(Photo11: Courtesy Kaitlee Fenno)

But for many, the fun was short-lived. Dozens chimed in after the USA TODAY Network asked for missing drone stories on a popular Facebook parenting group.

"I tried to control it with the remote, but nothing I was doing seemed to control the thing. It just kept going up and away from me. I ran after it over to the next sidewalk still trying to control it or bring it down but lost sight of it and never saw it again," said Stephanie Moinot of Melbourne.

Drones can be difficult to fly, said Chris Charron, an experienced drone hobbyist out of Titusville, Fla. It only takes slight adjustments on remote controllers, "a little goes a long way," he said. And if you go too high or too far, the drone will lose the signal back to its command center. Charron uses a more expensive drone priced around $1,200 that has a GPS tracker and sends live video footage to his cellphone. However, lower-cost drones do not typically come with such features and are easily lost, he said.

Charron, who uses his drone to capture aerial shots of the Titusville landscape, has attempted to fly his drone in search of lost drones, but has yet to actually locate one, he said.

David Waters, a Melbourne videographer who flies drones professionally, said he knows a thing or two about losing drones and how to prevent it. It's as simple as posting a label on the drone that has a name and phone number. Attaching a tracking device on it is also an option.

“I tried to run after it, but you can’t run after a drone … it’s like running after an airplane.”

David Waters, videographer

Waters lost a drone in the United Kingdom with precious video footage of a cousin's wedding. He was able to locate the drone more than a year later after a couple found it in their backyard and tracked him down.

"I tried to run after it, but you can’t run after a drone … it’s like running after an airplane," he said. " ... It’s like putting a bunch of propellers on your wallet and watching it fly away."

He did say, though, that a drone is rarely far from where it was launched.

"What they’re going to find is the drone is a lot closer than they thought it was, it’s rarely ever miles and miles away," he said.

But even with more drones airborne (and subsequently vanishing), it's not just a free-for-all out there. There are limitations to where a drone can be flown and how high. Kelly Swartz, a lawyer from the Widerman Malek law firm in Melbourne, specializes in unmanned aircraft systems.

She said users should first consult the FAA website for guidelines. Drones cannot be flown above 400 feet due to concerns about interfering with planes. They also can't be flown within 5 miles of an airport, added Waters.

"Airspace is probably the most important issue," said Scott Widerman, a partner at the firm who is also a pilot. "I’ve had at least one bird strike in my career and I had to replace a wing space in the front of my plane, but can you imagine hitting something harder than a bird?"

Drone pilots also cannot capture footage in someone's backyard, said Shwartz. If it's not something you can see from the ground, it is not legal to capture from a drone on private property.

"Even if they’re just taking pictures of their neighborhood they could be in violation," she said, noting it's part of the Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act in the Florida Statutes.

Stick to open fields, RC parks for hobby airplanes or public places apart from private homes.

And if you see a drone buzzing in your backyard, don't shoot it down, she said. That's not legal, either.

"It’s a piece of property," she said. "If someone’s car was left in your yard or a bike was left in your yard, you aren’t going to shoot it."

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As travelers take to the beaches in Australia in the summer, they'll now have the benefit of drones to warn them if a shark is close to shore.
USA TODAY

For those who master their drones and want to take their hobby to the next level or break into a new career, a new group was formed in Brevard County. AUVSI Space Coast drone group launched in November.

"The group is to bring together drone enthusiasts and like-minded people…and to encourage the younger generation that this is a field you could get into," said Todd Hillhouse, who started the club.

Hillhouse is the COO of Planet Inhouse, which uses and distributes drones armed with infrared cameras for commercial inspections and other tasks. His company also does FAA 107 training, which is the license needed to fly a drone commercially.

He said there is a bright future for the up and coming generation, and he hopes to bring drone training into the high schools one day.

"You have to be 16 years old to get your FAA 107, but try finding a drone pilot who makes less than $20 and hour … it’s a good opportunity for them," he said.